Bow Lake

Something I’ve been wanting to tick off of my bucket list is visiting Banff National Park. It had gotten to the point where I had started feeling suffocated from the city (as well as all of the fires we’re having out here on the west coast), I was craving nature and the fresh air. So the bestie and I made a quick trip up to Canada!

Now there are many ways to visit Banff, and every one has their own individual style. You can stay in the national park in the many resorts and hotels they have, or you can stay outside the park. Kyle and I opted to stay in Calgary and make the hour or so commute to the park.

On the first day, I made the extremely early commute up to Bow Summit to reach the Peyto Lake outlook. I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting so much snow!

I was honestly so excited for this hike, but sadly, I was a little disappointed. Not by the views itself, but from the lack of one. The hike is relatively easy, but it was so dangerous with all of the snow and ice; I definitely fell on my bum a few times. the entire trail was covered with people side stepping and walking ever so slowly.

I think if the snow hadn’t been there, the hike would have probably taken less than 10 minutes. But what was most disappointing was how foggy it was that day, so I wasn’t able to see Peyto Lake, or any of the surrounding glaciers.

Here’s what it should’ve looked like:

(photo source: TripAdvisor)

Could you blame me for being a little disappointed?

So without spending too much time on dwelling, I headed back down the canyon. On the way, there is Bow Lake and Bow glacier, which I think made up for the missing view.

The surrounding fog really added to the beauty. It kind of was a recurring theme for the remainder of the trip..

As beautiful as the lake was, I didn’t know what I was in for in the remaining days!